docs/src/process/release.md
This document outlines the process and key considerations for releasing a new version of the NASA Open MCT project as an NPM (Node Package Manager) package.
Before releasing a new version of the NASA Open MCT NPM package, ensure all dependencies are updated, and comprehensive tests are performed. This ensures compatibility and performance of the Open MCT within the Node.js ecosystem.
Versioning is a critical step for package release. The Open MCT team follows Semantic Versioning (SemVer) that consists of three major components: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH. These ensure a structured process for updating, bug fixes, backward compatibility, and software progress.
A comprehensive changelog file, CHANGELOG.md, documents any changes, adding a high level of transparencies for anyone desiring to look into the status of new and past progress. It includes the summation of any major new enhancements, changes, bug fixes, and the credits to the users responsible for each unique progress.
For the Open MCT package, we leverage GitHub's Pull Request (PR) mechanisms extensively, with three important PR labels dedicated to signifying 'notable_changes':
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